Sewing machine



C. L. KNOTT SEWING MACHINE Jan. 21, 1941.

Filed June 20, 1939 A so 60 Patented Jan. 21, 1941 UH'E STATES TEN T OF F ICE sswmor MACHINE Application June 26, 1939, Serial No. 280,135

13 Claims.

The present invention relates to sewing machines, and is concerned more particularly with improvements in work guiding devices especially but not exclusively adapted for use in shoe sewing machines of the McKay type employing a straight hook needle and a rotary work supporting horn.

In the manufacture of moccasin type shoes and shoes having thick composition or rubber outsoles, it is customary to secure the upper to the sole by a double row of stitching; Due to the time required to adjust the type of edge gage heretofore employed in the machines used for this purpose, the general practice has been to sew in a number of shoes a single seam with the gage in one position,'and then, after changing the setting of the gage, to sew a second seam parallel to the first in each of the shoes. This requires that each shoe be handled twice, 'resulting in an obvious Waste of time and unnecessaryexpenditure of energy. p

Certain of the difiiculties heretofore encountered in providing a rapidly adjustableedge gage arise from the fact that shoes of the above described types are generally sewn on "a McKay type sewing mechine inwhi'ch the work is supported on a rotary horn over whichfjthe shoe is placed. As a result, the edge gage, for want of a better placeis usually carried by the'pre'sser foot, with consequent difiiculty in arranging connections and providing adju'stability for the gage without interfering with 'thewor'k.

It is accordingly an objectiof the invention to provide an edge gage adapted to be mounted on the presser foot of a McKay type sewing machine and arranged to permit rapid adjustment of the gage from one position to another transversely of the direction of work feed, so as to make possible the consecutive sewing of spaced seams in a shoe without removing the work from the machine.

It is likewise an object of the invention to provide an edge gage of simple construction and ing the gage transversely of the direction of workieed, the lever extending into a positionto be readily grasped by the operator, and "a support for-the lever carried by the presser foot.

Accordingto another feature of theinverition,

whichare adjustably secured in an arcuate slot in the support upon which the gage adjusting lever is pivotally mounted, *whilethe latch carried by the lever is provided with the surfaces adaptedto engage the stops to limit the movement of the lever in either direction and thereby position the same, the latch likewise having notches to thereafter engage the stop pins to lock the lever securely in position. These notches are so located that any tendency of the lever to move from adjusted position due tovvibration of the machine or under the influence of the work does not tend to move the latch out of locking engagement with the stop. The parts are arranged, however, to permit the operator readily to release the latch and thereafterjto move the lever from retracted position of "the gage to advanced position thereof in a single unidirectional manual operation, enabling the operator during the sewing operation to "shift the gageq'uickly from one predetermined locked position to another predetermined locked "positioniwithout any liability of rebound as the gage reaches adjusted position and with no possibility of displacement during continued sewing.

The edge gage of the invention is illustrated as embodied in a McKay type lockstitch shoe sewing machinejsimilar to the machine disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,914,936, issued June '20, 1933, to Fred Ashworth, only so much of the machine being shown andde'scribed as is necessary to a'full understanding of the invention.

"In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a View in front elevation of the head portion of a McKay type lockstitch shoe sewing machine adjacent the sewing point illustra'ting the edge gage of the invention and showing a fragment of the work being op- ;erated upon; Figure 2 is a detail plan view of the gagein retracted position for guiding the work during the sewing of the first or innermost seam; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with the gage in advanced position and showing a portion of the work after starting the second or .outer seam following completion of the inner seam; and Figure 4 is a detail view of the latch for locking the edge gage lever in adjusted position, the lever being indicated in dot-anddash line and with the latch shown in unlocked position.

In the shoe sewing machine illustrated, the work, indicated generally at 8 as a shoe comprising an outsole l0 and upper 12, is supported on a horn l4 provided with the usual needle threading whirl. The various stitch forming devices, including the straight hook needle l6, shuttle l8, and feed point 28, are similar in construction and operation to those of the machine of the aforesaid patent. The presser foot 22 comprises the usual forked lower end 24 for engaging the work to secure the same against the horn, and is formed at its upper end with a block 26 secured to the lower end of the presser foot bar 28 by means of a stud (not shown) extending through slot 30 in the block.

The work engaging portion of the edge gage of the invention comprises a roll 32 which is supported from the presser foot of the machine, as hereinafter described, to engage the edge of the work at a point substantially opposite the needle in a direction transverse to the direction of work feed. The roll is pivotally mounted by means of a stud 34 on the under side of the downwardly offset end 36 of a lever 38.

To'vary the position of the roll transversely of the direction of work feed, the lever 38 is supported for pivotal movement in a generally horizontal plane, being mounted on a pivot stud 40 secured to a supporting plate 42. The plate is formed with an upstanding slotted lug 44 secured by a stud 48 to the presser foot block 26, the lug having a tongue 48 which is received within a groove in the block 26 to position the plate in proper alignment while permitting adjustment of the plate in the line of feed to bring the roll opposite the needle.

The main body of the lever 38 extends at an angle to'the portion 36 on which the roll 32 is mounted, so that the end 50, which serves as a handle for the operator in setting the gage, extends at one side of the sewing point and forwardly of the work so as to be readily accessible to the operator. By reason of the downward offset of the portion 36 of the lever, only the roll 32 of the gage lies below the plane of the top of the work, permitting the work to be manipulated without interference by the gage.

For determining the proper setting of the gage roll 32 to guide the work in sewing each of the seams, stop pins 52 and 54 are provided to limit the throw of the lever 38 to a predetermined amount in either direction. These pins are positioned in anarcuate slot 56 formed in the supporting plate 42 concentric with the pivot 40, and are adjustable along the slot upon loosening their clamping nuts 58. To prevent the pins from turning when tightening or loosening the clamping nuts, a squared base portion 68 of each pin fits within a groove 62 formed by widening the slot 56 on the under side of the plate 42.

The lever is releasably locked in either adjusted position of the gage by means of a latch 64 mounted beneath the lever on a pivot stud 66 secured in said lever. The stud is provided with an extension 68 projecting upwardly through the arcuate slot in the plate 42, a washer 18 and lock nuts 12 on the threaded ting of the gage roll in advanced and retracted positions. These pin-engaging surfaces throughout the range of movement of the latch, are curved in arcs substantially concentric with the latch pivot 66, so that rocking movement of the latch about its pivot, when the latch is in engagement with a stop pin, does not cause movement of the lever relative to the pin. Ihe lever 36 is cut away on each side, at 16, to provide clearance for the base portions 60 of the stop pins when the lever is at the limit of its movement as determined by said pins.

After the lever has been moved to adjusted position, it is locked in this position by means of notches 78 in the latch which engages one or the other of the pins to secure the lever thereto. The notches form continuation of the positioning surfaces, and are so shaped and arranged that the latch is released from either pin when the latch is rocked by means of handle 80 about its pivot in clockwise direction. substantially the same extent of movement being required for unlocking the latch from one pin as from theother. A coil spring 82 positioned in a cylindrical recess 84 formed partly in the latch and partly in the lever and seated at one end 86 against the latch and at the other end 88 against the lever urges the latch in counter-clockwise direction to retain the latch yieldingly in locked position. A stud 98 passing through an arcuate slot 92 in the latch and secured in the lever 38 limits the extent of rocking movement of the latch relative to the lever to that required for the shoulders 94 of the notches to just clear the stop pins when the latch is unlocked. As a further aid to rapid shifting of the lever from one position to the other, sloping notch-entering surfaces 96 are provided which, upon engagement with either stop pin, cause the latch to be rocked in unlocking direction to allow the shoulders 94 to slip by the pins, after which the latch snaps back to locked position.

In sewing a shoe which is to have a double row of stitching, the inner seam is preferably sewn first. The edge gage is accordingly positioned as shown in Figure 2, with the gage roll 32 in retracted position and the lever locked to the inner stop pin 52, the stop pin previously having been positioned in the slot to space the seam 98 the desired distance from the edge of the work.

Upon completion of the seam 98 to the point of departure I00, the operator holds the work with one hand, while, with a quick motion of his other hand from right to left, he strikes the handle 80 of the latch, thus rocking the latch in a clockwise direction about its pivot 66. This serves to release the latch from the stop pin 52, whereupon the lever, under the force of the operators blow, is itself rocked in clockwise direction to move the edge gage roll 32 to advanced position, forcing the work inwardly. As the lever and latch approach the otherstop pin .54, the sloping notch entering surface 96 engages the pin, opening the latch to permit the shoulder 94 to slip past the pin, the lever thereafter being brought .to rest by engagement of the surface 14 of the latch with the pin. Upon removal of the operator's hand, the latch is rocked by spring 82 to locked position without change in the position of the gage, and the lever thus left in locked position with the gage set for sewing'the second or outer seam I02. As a result of thedisplacement of the work inwardly as the gage roll 32 is moved from retracted to advanced position in changing the setting of the gage, a diagonal stitch It l is formed, since the work is likewise subjected to the usual feeding movement in the line of feed.

Since only a single unidirectional manual opera-tion is required to shift'the setting .of the gagefrom locked retracted position to locked advanced position, the change in setting may be accomplished so rapidly that it has proved entirelypractical to'sew the two seams consecutively without even stopping the machine for the changeover, thus effecting a substantial saving in time over the former practice of removing the work from the machine between seams,

Upon completion of both seams in the Work, the gage is readily reset, preparatory to starting a new piece of work, by releasing the latch and swinging the lever rearwardly to move the gage roll into retracted position, the latch engaging and locking to the inner stop pin 52 to retain the lever in adjusted position while sewing the innermost seam.

Having thus indicated the invention, and a specific embodiment thereof having been illustrated and described, what is claimed is:

1. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a rotary horn, a straight hook needle, a presser foot for securing the work against the horn, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a support for the gage mounted on the presser foot, a lever pivotally mounted on the support for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, stop pins carried by the support for positioning the lever in advanced and retracted positions of the gage, and quickly releasable latching means carried by the lever for locking the lever to one or the other of said pins.

2. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch-forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, stops for positioning the lever in retracted and advanced positions of the gage, and means for locking the lever in each of its adjusted positions.

3. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch-forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, stops for positioning the lever in retracted and advanced positions of the gage, and means comprising a latch carried by the lever adapted to releasably lock the lever after being positioned by either of said stops.

4. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a stop pin for positioning the lever in an adjusted position of the gage, and a latch carried by the lever adapted to engage the stop pin and releasably lock the lever thereto.

5. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitchforming and work feeding devices, a gagepast which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a stop pin, a latch carried by the lever adapted to engage the pin to position the lever and movable thereafter to lock the lever to the pin.

6. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitchforming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed comprising a roll adapted to engage the edge of the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever on which the roll is mounted for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a support for the lever a stop pin for positioning the lever in adjusted position of the gage, and a latch carried by the lever adapted to engage the pin and releasably lock the lever thereto.

7. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, stop pins for positioning the lever in retracted and advanced positions of the gage, and latching means carried by the lever and engageable with one or the other of said pins for locking the lever thereto.

8. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting'the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a support on which the lever is pivotally mounted, an arcuate slot in the support, a stop pin adjustably secured in the slot, and latching means carried by the lever for releasably locking the lever to the pin.

9. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed a support on which the lever is pivotally mounted, an arcuate slot in the support concentric with the pivot of the lever, stop pins adjustably secured in the slot for positioning the lever in advanced and in retracted positions of the gage, and latching means carried by the lever and adapted to lock the lever to either one of said pins and releasable to permit the lever to be moved from looking engagement with one pin into locking engagement with the other.

10. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a support on which the lever is pivotally mounted, stop pins for positioning the lever in retracted and advanced positions of the gage, and a latch pivotally mounted on the lever and provided with notches adapted to engage one or the other of said pins to lock the lever thereto, said latch having provision for limited rocking movement in the plane of movement of the lever to unlock the latch.

11. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch forming and Work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the Workand determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a support on which the lever is pivotally mounted, stop pins for positioning the lever in retracted and advanced positions of the gage, and a latch pivotally mounted on the lever and provided with notches adapted to engage one or the other of said pins to lock the lever thereto by a movement of the latch in one direction, and to disengage the pins and unlock the lever by a movement of the latch in the other direction.

12. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination with the stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a support on which the lever is pivotally mounted, stop pins adjustably secured in the support for positioning the lever in retracted and advanced positions of the gage, a latch carried by the lever adapted to engage one or the other of said pins to lock the lever thereto, and manually operable means movable in the plane of movement of the lever for moving the latch to unlock the lever, the direction of movement of said means in moving the latch to unlock the lever coinciding with the direction of movement of the lever in moving the gage from retracted to advanced positions whereby the gage may be moved from locked retracted position to locked advanced position in a single unidirectional manual operation.

13. A shoe sewing machine having, in combina tion with the stitch forming and work feeding devices, a gage past which the work is fed arranged to engage the work and determine the location of a seam, a lever for adjusting the gage transversely of the direction of work feed, a support on which the lever is pivotally mounted, stop pins for positioning the lever in retracted and advanced positions of the gage, and a latch pivotally mounted on the lever, said latch having arcuate surfaces concentric with the latch pivot for engaging the pins to position the lever, and notches for locking the lever to the pins, the latch upon engagement of an arcuate surface with a pin being movable to lock the lever to the pm.

CLYDE L. KNOTT. 

